Beginning of the End
by CloverX
Summary: Jackson makes a discovery before the plane lands, spoiling Lisa plans. Even so, Jackson's still very much intrigued with Lisa, and is having a hard time letting her go. Rated "M" for the usual.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing related to Red Eye.

A big thank you goes out to BregoBeauty and Kaikamahine Mai Hawai'i for the beta read and helpful advice. Both your assistance is very much appreciated.

I've read a lot of great Red Eye stories, so any similarities are unintentional.

Please leave feedback if you can and thanks for reading.

**Chapter 1:**

Jackson looked over at Lisa, who was fidgeting nervously in her seat while looking out the window. She had become increasingly restless once the flight attendant announced their upcoming arrival to Miami, and it was starting to wear on his patience.

"We're almost there, Leese. Relax," he said quietly, leaning in toward her.

She looked ahead at the seat in front of her, and could tell that he was looking in her direction. She cleared her throat while shifting in her seat again, felt the pen that she tucked inside her skirt move slightly downward and abruptly sat still.

After making the second call to the hotel, she was silently sobbing for the remainder of the flight. Having to learn after-the-fact that the hit was not only on Keefe, but his family as well, was devastating. Jackson shushed her once and that made her hold back further whimpering noises, but didn't stop the tears from pouring out. She was disgusted with the man sitting so close to her, sick to her stomach that she went through with making the call, and now refused to look at him.

He leaned even closer to her, squarely looked her up and down without moving his head and sighed. His tone clearly sounded disappointed.

That was it – she'd had enough of this man! That one little sigh put her over the edge and she suddenly found herself hunching over on her lap acting nauseous. While putting on this show, she discretely slid her right hand to the side of her hip, and moaned again as if she was going to be sick.

"What's wrong now?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"You hit me on the head and slammed me against the wall, remember?"

"Well suck it up. You've come too far, don't blow it now."

She reached for the pen, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Come on sit up…sit-up Leese," he hissed.

She sat-up quickly and closed her eyes while leaning her head toward the window, gripping the pen tightly. She could painfully feel her nails digging deeply into the sensitive skin of her palm and that was fine by her. Not only did she have what she needed, she had it right where she needed it.

"Almost there now," he reassured her again.

He found himself assessing Lisa several times since she made the call. He knew he was putting her through hell but he had to ensure his number one witness wasn't going to blow it for him and his associates. _'Don't let your guard down with this one.'_ Observing her actions further, he noticed her right arm stiffly stuck straight by her side. He watched as she brushed the side of her hair with her left hand, placing it on the side of her jaw, as if she needed to rest her head against it.

"Leese. I need you to put both hands on your lap and sit quietly." She didn't move. "Now," he said in a more demanding yet soft tone so as to not cause attention, as if he was talking to a child.

Suddenly she looked up and faced forward, jerking her left hand to her lap. She held a short breath for several moments and exhaled slowly while gazing out the window again.

"Do it," he ordered. She finally turned to look at him and both stared at each-other for what seemed like an eternity. His was the look of _"go on, test me"_, and hers was the look of "_oh shit, now what?"_

He leaned back in his seat facing forward and shaking his head, knowing she wasn't going to comply. _'Why is she so damn difficult?'_ Abruptly and swiftly, he reached over and grabbed her right wrist, hitting her stomach hard in the process with his arm. Smacking her wrist on her lap, he looked down and saw her right hand white knuckling the pen. She jumped slightly but no one around them paid them any mind.

He looked at her immediately, clearly showing an expression that was beyond irritation, and could feel her trembling within his grip. "Planning on writing a letter or did you have other plans for that?" he smirked and laughed under his breath, grabbing the pen from her. "What am I going to do with you?" he questioned as he tucked it in his jacket pocket.

With a grim look on his face, he reached over and grabbed her left hand, gripping it tightly, while bringing it close to his side. He kept his grip tight and steady, letting her know who was in control. "I guess I'm going to have to go with Plan B now," he said without glancing at her.

'_Shit, shit, shit! Plan B….what?'_ Tears were now flooding her cheeks as she tried pulling her hand away from him to no avail. "Holding my hand is not necessary. I promise not to pull anymore stunts and…and you're hurting my hand," she shot back in a low pleading voice.

"What's wrong, you don't like this?" He tightened his grip with a stone cold look on his face, seeing her wince in pain. "You need a scolding for pulling this little stunt." Satisfied that he made his point, he loosened his grip slightly. "Better now?" he asked, beginning to rub her hand as she tried to pull away from him again with no success.

"I thought…" she cleared her throat again, "I thought we're going to sit and have lattes, while you waited for the call?"

He laughed lowly while shaking his head. "When we get off the plane, I'll follow you to the lobby, and then we'll see how this all plays out".

She felt dizzy thinking about what would happen after the plane landed. "What did you mean Plan B?"

He leaned over and gave her a direct look, squeezing her hand again. "I mentioned it earlier but I have a feeling it went right over your head."

She was puzzled and then a sudden thought occurred to her. She believed it to be a sarcastic joke but he mentioned earlier that he'd steal her. Her stomach twisted in knots..._'No, that can't be it.'_

"Look, I did as you asked and your plan is in motion. After our business is done, I plan on walking out of this alone. As for my dad, you call your dog off as soon as you can." They sat for several moments, just glaring each other.

"As long as the plan goes accordingly, then Dad should be fine. However, there have been unfortunate circumstances where those who play a key role in the plan itself may have tried to botch the job, such as yourself, who aren't so fine. Sometimes those situations, well... go awry".

He noticed her throat moving as she swallowed hard. Clearly she was shaken by his last comment from the terrified look on her face.

She broke from his hold, yanking her hand away. "You don't mean that. I did what you asked." Tears started rolling down her cheek. "I should have known," she said as if understanding what her fate would be. "What's one more life checked off on your 'to-kill' list mean? Obviously, nothing."

"Don't get so worked up Leese. The job will be completed-that I can guarantee, and all will be fine." He watched her cross her arms and scoot toward the window, seeming somewhat satisfied with that answer.

The plane started making its descent to the runway and she gripped the arm rest, feeling as though she really was going to be sick this time.

The plane landed smoothly, but to Lisa, it was more like a horrible rollercoaster ride. She groaned, knowing that once the door to the airplane opened, her world would become more chaotic than it was now. He'd ruin her life and destroy the Keefes'. How was she going to explain all this? And because of this man, how could she trust anyone again after this? _'Bastard.'_

When the plane finally landed and was rolling down the tarmac to the gate, the passengers applauded, excited to be at their destination. The fasten seat-belt sign had finally turned off and the passengers started flooding the aisles in preparation for their departure. "Come on," Jackson said, standing quickly.

She stood with her legs shaking and watched as he grabbed her purse and carry-on. Putting the purse on his chair, he reached in and grabbed her cell phone, shoving it in his pants pocket. He looked at her briefly and handed her the purse but kept her carry-on. "Get in front of me," he ordered.

The moment she stepped in front of him, he started pushing her along. Maneuvering past the other passengers was tricky, but he was determined to keep moving forward. He looked up to see the blonde hair lady smiling at him while giving him a come-hither look. He smiled cordially back at her and continued down the path with his smile wiping off his face. '_Bitch, I won't be so charming next time'._

Lisa tried to get past the many passengers who filled the cramped aisles, but it was made difficult by the other passengers' eagerness to get off the plane. All of the pushing and shoving made her feel claustrophobic and dizzy. Jackson himself had bumped her several times and having his body press against her, even for those quick moments, sent a shiver up her spine.

Finally, they reached the door and she could feel the air flowing in. Now was the time to run, she thought, quickening her pace. But as quickly as that thought appeared, it vanished once he grabbed the back of her arm, keeping her in check.

They headed toward the lobby of the airport when Jackson's phone suddenly rang. He escorted her to the window with a firm, "Stay put". He could see that she looked relieved knowing that the call had come. In fact, she started tearing up. The whole ordeal was finally almost over.

"Hey…nope...no word yet. Sit tight, I'll be contacting you soon once I get the call." He put his phone on vibrate, unbeknownst to Lisa, and clipped it back on his belt. He looked down at her, shrugging with an amusing look on his face, knowing that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Not the call we needed." He grabbed the back of her arm and started back down to the lobby.

They passed a coffee shop, heading in the direction of the main parking lot. "Wait! Where are we going?" Lisa questioned as she slowed her pace.

"Well, you and I need to go somewhere a little more quiet."

"I prefer to stay here," she said, trying to hold her ground, but forced to continue walking at his pace when he grabbed her hand and tugged her roughly behind him. Before she knew it, they were walking out the airport lobby to the parking lot. "Please stop!"

"How about I put it this way? Until I get the call, I need you in an enclosed space, which would be my car. I don't need you running off and getting both of us in trouble."

"I promise I won't run."

"Come on, Leese. You've pulled quite a few shenanigans on this job. Now you've left me with no choice but to keep an even closer eye on you." He yanked her arm, forcing her to walk a good distance, crossing over several lengthy parking rows, and finally stopping in front of a black BMW. He opened the passenger door and almost like gentleman caller waited for her to get in. His expression alone was not to be reckoned with. "Get in," he finally ordered, annoyed by her delay.

She got in the car and was surprised she didn't run when he walked around the car to get in, but truthfully she felt drained and too mentally exhausted to even put up a fight. He looked at her again with a longing gaze, which made her feel uncomfortable. Much to her surprise, he started the car and made his way out of the parking lot toward the entrance to the freeway.

"Where are we going?" she nervously asked.

"I'm dropping you off at your place. We'll wait there for the call, that's if it hasn't come yet."

She shot him a look of uncertainty._ 'That's right, you know where I live, don't you, creep?' _

The ride home on the freeway was nerve wrecking. He drove rather fast and furious, yet methodically focused on the road. Anxious to get home and seeing her exit, she blurted out, "We're getting close to my exit."

"I know," he said, looking at her with a slight smirk on his face.

Just when it looked like he was going to continue past her exit, he swiftly jerked the car, screeching his tires, onto the off ramp. He was shaking his head, as is telling himself 'no'. She looked at him in disbelief. Why did this guy toy with her so much? Did he actually have another destination in mind to take her to, besides her home?

They finally got to her house. After the car stopped, she made a move to exit the car but he put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ah-ah." First they awkwardly sat in silence, but he started whistling and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, looking in the distance in front of him, as if his mind was elsewhere. She was becoming unnerved by his behavior and felt as though she needed some space. It made her feel…

"I need to go to the bathroom…I've really gotta go." This time she was serious. In fact, she needed to go back on the plane after the call was made, but she didn't dare make that same request again on the plane. Not while he was around anyways.

He shook his head with an astonished laugh. But the pained look on her face made him seriously contemplate her request. Finally he nodded his head in agreement. "Ok. Get your keys ready, I don't want to be waiting at the door."

She nervously fumbled for her house keys and once retrieving them, made her way out of the car. Jackson was a step behind her as she approached her doorway. He stood uncomfortably close to her and she couldn't seem to open the door fast enough to get some distance between them, even with the keys ready in her hand. '_Please give me some breathing room for the love of…'_

Lisa heard the familiar clicking of the lock as the bolt unlocked and she opened the door to what should have been her safe haven. She paused when a sudden wave of dread flowed through her veins.

Why was she just _now_ thinking of the repercussions of having this man in her home? '_I'm going to be alone…in my home…with a trained killer…who may want to get rid of any loose ends. That would be…Me!'_

"You'll need to take a step in, Leese, and you'll be headed in the right direction."

"Right," she said nervously, stepping into the living room. '_I'm so dead'._

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for the next chapter. I was making tons of revisions but decided to stop, and post it as-is. Hope you like it.

I would like thank Kaikamahine Mai Hawai'i for taking the time out of her busy schedule to review and edit my original draft. Thank you.

Also, thank you to those who left a review, 'favorite' the story, etc. I really appreciate that. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Red Eye.

**Chapter 2:**

Lisa hurried down the hall to the bathroom with Jackson trailing right behind her. Seeing the hall table ahead of her, she focused on the heavy brass lamp that was sitting on the edge of it. If she could just grab the lamp and smash it over his head, then possibly she could make her escape. But he must have second guessed what she was thinking, because he was suddenly right on her heels, preventing her from grabbing the lamp as she passed it.

Reaching the bathroom, she quickly proceeded to close the door but his foot abruptly stopped it from shutting.

"Uh-uh," he said, shaking his head while keeping his foot steady against the door. "Leave it open."

"I don't think so," she shot back, her heart still in panic mode.

"It's staying open," he replied calmly.

"I think I can handle this one on my own, thanks," she rebutted, pushing the door against his foot.

"I'm not going to tell you again, it's staying open," he pushed back. "But if you'd like, I can keep facing forward and not have my back to you while you do your business."

Hearing the calm tone in his voice but reading the stern expression on his face, she knew she was in for another battle of wills with this guy, and frankly she just needed to pee…rather badly. With a distress look on her face, she shook her head in disbelief that she was going to give in to him.

"Fine – turn around," she said breathlessly, barely getting the words out.

He shook his head, looking at her as if _he_ was the one insulted. "I'll compromise," he said, closing the door halfway. In turn, she responded with a look that he interpreted as _'How fucking generous of you'_, which made him raise an eye brow.

Finally, he turned his back to her and leaned on the doorway where she could still see him. She walked to the toilet and turned to look at him again, staring at his backside in disbelief that she was in this predicament. Slowly, she hiked up her skirt and pulled down her panties, with her eyes carefully on him. She sat on the toilet and after several awkward moments, realized that there was no way in hell she could go in his presence.

"I can't do this, not with you here."

"You've got one minute to try."

She looked at his backside with contempt, utterly frustrated that he had the audacity to stand there and give her a time limit. She was already humiliated by having to urinate in his presence, but to further aggravate her, he started whistling again. She closed her eyes, trying to shut him out of her thoughts and held her breath for a few seconds to relax. She slowly breathed out as she felt relief expel from her body but became mortified when she realized he stopped whistling. She quieted her breath, embarrassed by the realization that he was listening to every sound she made. However, as red-faced as she was, she continued what she started.

Feeling as if the fog lifted from her mind and finding a minute sense of clarity when finishing, she cleaned up and walked past him without a second glance. "You're pathetic," she said under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

She marched back to the living room, saw the lamp in the hall, and with new-found determination, charged to grab it. She reached for the lamp, grasping it tightly in both hands, ready to hurl it on his head with all her might. But before her actions could be put in motion, he grabbed her arm and slammed her against the wall, knocking the lamp from her hold.

With a fierce look on his face, he firmly pushed his body against hers while grabbing both her wrists. She fought to free herself but was overcome by his strength as he painfully pinned her against the wall. He turned to his side as she tried to knee him in the groin and as punishment for that act, forced her legs slightly apart and pushed into her groin. He raised her up with his hip, making her stand on her toes, and pressed his entire body against her.

She thought he was going to break her in two and turned her head away from him, sobbing loudly. She could feel the pain deepening in her pelvic area as he pushed into her even harder, not flinching once from her cries.

He was so close to her that he could smell her scent. He wanted to roughly rub his nose against her neck to breathe her in but he kept his gaze firmly fixed on her until she quieted down. With her eyes red and puffy, she finally looked at him despairingly, steadying her breath and appearing to give up.

"Are we good now?" he finally asked, rasping the words out. She didn't respond, but the look of sincerity on her face was all he needed. Clearly satisfied with seeing her spirits broken, he took a step back to block the front door entrance, and released her.

She felt like collapsing to the floor and almost reached for him for support but found the strength to continue standing on her own. She warily made her way to the living room, feeling the strength in her ankles give, as she stumbled in her heels. Seeing the front window curtains closed, she quickly opened them, but looked at him in panic, fearing that there would be consequences by doing so. If there was an act of foul play to be had by this man, then hopefully she'd have witnesses who could see through the window and catch him in the act. It was chance she'd have to take, and gave him a defiant look, bracing herself for another physical altercation. Surprisingly, he didn't say or do anything to reprimand her actions. He just looked at her steadily, while catching his breath.

Not knowing what else to do, she walked over to the living room couch and took a seat. With her heart still beating relentlessly, she slouched back against the couch and closed her eyes, pressing one hand to her forehead. The results of his earlier handy work had left a rather large sore lump on her forehead and she found herself pressing on it to soothe the pain.

_'At least he didn't head-butt me,' _she thought, as every ounce in her body fought to not pass out from this latest episode with him.

Placing his hands in his pant pockets, he softened his expression. "How about a drink?" he questioned, in a poor attempt to lighten the mood. She didn't respond or look at him, which he figured as much.

"I know - it's a little early for something strong but I think a drink is in order," he replied, and walked over to the wall hutch where she kept a bottle of whiskey and a few shot glasses. "Guess you keep this around mainly for company, huh?" he questioned, more to himself.

She was astounded that he was familiar with her home, and yes, she did keep a variety of alcoholic beverages for company. She kept the whiskey on hand, mainly for her dad, who would visit on those unexpected times he just happened to be in the neighborhood - which was becoming more frequent since his retirement. She watched as Jackson poured himself a drink, gulped it down, and then poured another. He walked over and motioned the glass to her as if it was her turn to take a drink. She turned her attention to her side, refusing the gesture.

"Suit yourself," he said, gulping down the shot. Feeling the rush and burn of the liquid move down his throat, He took a satisfied breath through his nose, and firmly placed the glass face down on the coffee table.

With her hand still on her forehead, she became quite aware that he was staring at her again - a little too long and a little too quietly. Not being able to stand it any longer, she looked up at him, almost as if she was peeking through her hand.

Uncomfortable with their stance towards one another and feeling quite small with him towering over her, she placed her hand on the couch and sat up. After quite a long hesitation on his behalf, he proceeded to take off his jacket, and lay it over the couch, casually taking a seat next to her.

She sat frozen with her mouth slightly open. Her heart started racing again, flabbergasted that he didn't sit on the vacant chair across from her. She quickly stood to move across from him but he grabbed her arm and sat her right back down. The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she became very aware that their sides were touching.

He looked straight at her, his expression becoming dark once more. She got a sense of déjà vu, as if she was back on the flight to Miami, playing his game of revelation to his true nature..._'Government overthrows, flashy high profile assassinations, the usual...'_

Scooting over, she turned her attention to the side, averting her eyes from his forthright stare but quickly looked back at him when he shifted slightly in his seat.

He felt his phone vibrate but kept his focus on her. It was loud enough for Lisa to hear because she looked right at his waist. She anxiously looked up at him and both seemed to hold their breath, anticipating his next move.

"It's time," he said grabbing his phone and flipping it open. "Jackson here."

"Rippner, it's O'Neal. It's done - the target's been hit," the male voice said over the line, getting straight to the point.

"Excellent - and the remaining payment?"

"Wired to your account. You've done good - in fact the clients have another job lined up with the company, requesting your services of course. If you're not up for it, I can -"

"Set-up a meeting with them and call me back later with the details."

"Sure thing," O'Neal replied, masking his contemptuous undertone, "and the woman?"

"Is no concern of yours," he said curtly, hanging up the phone and returning his gaze to Lisa. "Satisfied - "

She was quietly sobbing again. To even fathom the thought that she could be instrumental in his plans was unthinkable, and the reality that innocent lives had been extinguished because of her help, was unbearable.

Listening to her soft and tender sobs sounded rather sweet and innocent to him but seeing the sadness on her face was making his conscience come alive. He found himself swallowing hard, pushing back the resentment he was starting to feel. _'It's done – no undoing it,' _he thought,reprimanding himself for letting her get to him.

"What about my dad?"

He nodded his head, acknowledging their agreement. She watched and listened attentively as he made the call, dismissing his hitman - his _Dog_, from harming her dad. "As promised," he said softly, finishing the call and leaning in closer to her.

Ready for him to leave, she stood to walk him to the door. "Well, that's it. _Our_ business is done."

"Not so fast Leese," he replied, grabbing her arm and yanking her back down. "I'm not done with _you,_ yet."

Her rear hit the couch hard, and she gasped to catch her breath from being forced down roughly. He kept his grip on her tight as the look on his face intensified, marking her heart pound and throat tighten from being captivated by his fierce blue eyes. A feeling of dread slowly worked its way through her body, and with her thoughts racing, she came to one conclusion. She finally reached the end of the line. There wouldn't be any loose ends around with this guy, which meant no witnesses. She swallowed hard and quickly recalled what he told her on the plane, '…._there have been unfortunate circumstances for those who played a key role in the plan itself…sometimes those situations go awry.'_

He could sense a new type of fear building within her as she started trembling. She was simply petrified, making him recall a few past targets who had the same look on their faces. That is, before he or his associates put a bullet in their heads. He kept his gaze fixed on her, knowing that wasn't her fate.

Seeing the fire in his sultry eyes suddenly ignited a different thought in her head, making her stomach twist in knots on what his intentions might be. Oddly, she was feeling a mixture of being nauseous and something _else_ she wouldn't dare acknowledge. That something _else_ was heating up below her waist.

A few moments passed and she finally spoke to break the awkward tension building between the two. "There's nothing more to say…," she said with a quiver in her voice, twisting her arm from his hold. "In your line of work, aren't you supposed to quietly disappear after you've successfully completed a job? Never to be seen again?"

He thought he heard a hint of sarcasm in her tone while trying to sound brave with that last line. "You know, Leese," he started, without answering her question. "I really wish I would have known about that scar of yours sooner."

She leaned away from him, uncomfortable with where their conversation was going.

"I may have approached this job in an entirely different way had I known. Believe it or not, in some ways you and I are alike."

She stared at him with a perplexed look on her face. If she didn't know better, she thought she heard a hint of compassion in his voice. "How are we _almost _alike?" she asked, out of plain curiosity.

"I have scars, too. Some visible...some emotional - " He paused, reflecting on the words he spoke and were about to speak, realizing he was beginning to disclose more information about himself to her then he should have. "I've become guarded because of my scars..., like _you,_" he simply stated.

She continued analyzing his soften expression by the revelation he made but remembered who she was talking to - a terrorist operative - an assassin.

"So you've become a killer because of your past afflictions? How can you find that acceptable?" she asked, with a scorn to her tone. "You and I are nothing alike - _nothing_!."

She jumped when he placed his arm on the coach behind her, leaning towards her, as if telling her a secret. "As you already know Leese, we live in an unforgiving world where many of us have to adapt to survive. It's our _past afflictions _that shape us... in ways that seem unimaginable to most."

Her body stiffened from feeling his hot breath against her skin.

"And contrary to what you believe about me, I've come to accept who I am in this world of ours. Especially my faults," he said, feeling her shoulder jerk from the reaction of his lips barely touching her ear. "And many of these faults equate to my weaknesses. Such as developing an emotional attachment to _someone_ when I shouldn't, and then not being able to let go of that _someone_ when I should."

Not fully comprehending his meaning, she leaned back and looked heavily in his eyes. They were smoldering in a sea of blue. She noticed him glance at her lips and then back to her eyes, his expression full of longing. Instinctively, she moisten her lips quickly with her tongue, feeling as if her mind and body were in conflict. Her thoughts were running rampant, knowing she was going to be in the fight of her life but that it could end with both engulfed in a fierce love making session. Feeling as if she was going crazy thinking of such absurdities, she closed her eyes tight, clenching her fists to muster up the strength to take him on physically again but snapped out of it when hearing a low humming sound come from her side. In a fright, she turned her attention to his waist to where his phone was, and due to their close proximity, she didn't just hear the sound of his phone vibrate, but could feel it.

Irritated by the caller's timing, he snapped the phone from his belt and flipped it open, "Yeah?"

Jackson listened intently with his brows slightly furrowed, and after a moment, he stood up abruptly. Clearly he was absorbing the caller's conversation because his expression went from looking confused to angry.

"This is just a set-back - nothing that can't be fix..., no - she _won't_ be a problem..., relax - I'm on my way," he finished, through clenched teeth and closed the phone.

He stared down at her, swallowing hard, knowing he needed to move fast in order to resolve the current problem that was developing. He leaned forward and placed his hands on each side of the cushions to her waist, forcing her to lean back. His face was directly in front of hers with their noses almost touching. "You're not going to be a problem for me, are you Leese?"

She didn't move or breathe. Oh God, was he going to kill her now?

She flinched when it looked like he was going to move in to kiss her but instead he kept his gaze on her, appearing to restrain himself.

"Don't get too comfortable after I leave, Leese," he said slowly, as if warning her. He stood and grabbed his jacket, calmly putting it on.

She sat in complete shock, as he turned on his heels and headed for the door. Was he really going to leave her alive or was he going to wait until he reached the door and pull out a concealed weapon to shoot her from afar? Once again her mind was running amok but what he did next surprised her. He turned and gave her a soft smile just before exiting. It was a charming smile, like the one he gave her at the airport, when they first met.

She continued to follow his movements out the window, seeing him get in his car and swiftly drive off - and just like that, he was gone. Still staring out the window, she shook her head and had one question running through her mind. Why did he spare her?

Standing and looking around her surroundings, she felt paralyzed on what to do next. She quickly reached for her house phone, but stopped. Instead, she grabbed the remote to her TV and turned it on, gasping to the horrors of seeing the destruction of the Lux Atlantic Hotel across the screen. The hit was on every channel. The reality sunk in, that what she had experienced was not just a bad dream, but a nightmare come to life_. _

Fearing that Jackson would return, she briskly walked to the kitchen and grabbed a knife - the largest knife she owned. Comforted that she was equipped with protecting herself, she walked back to the living and touched the telephone but hesitated for a moment. Who was going to believe her story? She couldn't even believe it herself, she thought.

She looked back at the television listening to the news reporter who was live on the scene. _"It's not confirmed how many lives have been lost here at the Lux Atlantic Hotel but the aftermath of this attack is devastating. At this time, no group has claimed responsibility, but we can say whoever's behind this attack had to be quite systematic with their planning and execution to compromise Charles Keefe's security detail..."_ The news reporter continued the story but Lisa unconsciously tuned her out, focusing on what the camera panned into, which was a close up of the destroyed floor of the hotel, and then to the mayhem of the emergency crew, who were assisting the injured guests and hotel staff.

She glanced out the front window again, with a distant look on her face. The world around her was going silent, and she closed her eyes, focusing on what sounded like a low ringing sound in her ears. For a moment, it was all she heard. She immediately snapped out of it, returning her attention back to the news report. Shaking her head in disbelief to what she saw, and having her grief turned to anger, she picked up the phone and dialed for emergency.

"Yes, my name Lisa Reisert," she said upon hearing the dispatcher's voice. "I'd like to report an incident that happened to me on the Red Eye flight to Miami – it has to do with the Lux Atlantic Hotel."

_'You're going to pay for what you've done **Jack**__, so it's you who better not get comfortable.'_

**TBC**

Authors note: For the finale of this chapter, I really wanted to see Jackson and Lisa make a trip to the bedroom to do the naughty naughty (or kitchen floor, living room couch, etc – LOL). However, I had to remember that this is Lisa we're talking about, and that situation just didn't sit right…for now. I also hated to see Jackson leave Lisa behind, but as an operative/assassin, situations can arise unexpectedly. Don't fret though, because Jackson will be coming for her…

Stay tuned for Chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3

Finally, I finished and posted this next chapter. Thank you to everyone for your reviews, I really appreciate that.

I'd also like to say thank you to BregoBeauty for Beta reading (I'm so grateful for you taking the time) and to my Hubby who listened while I enthusiastically read this newest chapter to him. Mind you, I was reading this chapter to him while he was restringing and tuning his guitar, so I'm wondering how much he truly was listening. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Red Eye.

**Chapter 3:**

"Ma'am, are you in danger right now?" the woman asked urgently over the phone. The emergency dispatcher had just listened to Lisa explain a brief but concise description of her unwilling exploits with Jackson Rippner. A terrorist operative, as Lisa described him.

"Ummm – no," Lisa said hesitantly, turning to look out the window again, ensuring that there was no sign of Jackson.

"Ok - units will be on their way but there could be a slight delay due to the critical situation downtown. Please lock your doors in the meantime."

"I understand – wait! I don't feel comfortable knowing that this can be delayed. I'll drive myself to the station and leave right now."

"If you're ok to do so, then I'll notify the Miami Police Department that you're on your way. Are you absolutely sure about this Ma'am?"

"Yes, I'm sure," she responded with a slight agitation to her tone, by being asked the classic 'are you sure' question.

"If you change your mind, call us back immediately."

"I'll be fine and thank you for your assistance."

Lisa hung up the phone and turned to find her keys. Not seeing them, she furrowed her brows, trying to remember where she placed them. Suddenly, hearing her phone ring made her spin around in a panic, while grabbing her chest. She finally felt as if the shock of her hellish night of pain and suffering inflicted by Jackson was now creeping up on her.

She quickly picked up the phone, thinking it was the dispatcher calling her back. "Hello," she asked anxiously, realizing that she had begun shaking.

"Lisa, its Dad - thank heavens your home. I've been trying to call you on your cell phone. Have you heard what's happened at your hotel?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, I know," she said, closing her eyes to the comfort of hearing his voice. "Look Dad, I need you to meet me at the police station downtown as soon as possible." She placed the knife that she had grabbed earlier on the table next to the phone, and gripped her open hand in a tight fist, trying to control her shaking.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"I'll explain everything there, but I need to get myself out the door and get there fast."

"Lisa, you're worrying me – "

"Everything is fine Dad," she lied, unintentionally. "Look… I need to stay at your house tonight. Is that ok?"

"Of course you can sweetheart, but tell me what's going on – I'm coming over there right now…you don't sound fine."

"No – Dad, I just want to head over to the station right now. I'll explain everything to you once I get there."

"Ok, ok…I'm on my way right now. I'm out the door as we speak…walking to my car."

"I'll see you in a moment - love you Dad."

Lisa hung up the phone, shaking her hands in snapping motion, while feeling overwhelmed and a little light headed. She then brushed her hands through her hair and rested them on top of her head, squeezing the bottom of her palms into her temples, almost forgetting what she needed to do.

"Shit! My bag is at the airport and damn it, Jackson took the other one," she said, shaking her head, and walking straight to her bedroom. "Good one, Lisa, now you're talking to yourself - Out Loud."

She grabbed a duffle bag from the closet, and then started rifling through her dresser drawers for fresh clothes to pack for her dad's house. Shoving what she needed in the bag and feeling satisfied that she was ready to leave, she went back to the living room to look for her keys again. Not seeing them anywhere in the room, she stood in place for a moment, trying to recall where she placed them. "Bathroom," she said out loud again, realizing where she left them.

She promptly headed in the bathroom, and seeing the keys on the counter top, she quickly grabbed them. Catching a glance of herself in the mirror, she stopped to look at herself, and shook her head. _"_Your life _has _gone to shit, hasn't it?" she muttered under her breath, trying not to say that little fact too loudly.

Walking out the bathroom, while looking down at her keys, she slammed into something hard, which threw her back in a daze. She stood in shock seeing Jackson stand there, wearing a glove on his right hand, which was holding a small towel.

From seeing the sheer look of terror on her face, he smiled at her, as if trying to put her mind at ease, but what he said next sounded so like him. "Ah…you missed me too?"

Realizing she was cornered, she tried to run back in the bathroom, but he immediately grabbed at her, making her stumble to the ground.

Turning her abrasively around to face him, he quickly straddled her waist while grabbing both her wrists, yanking them over her head as she began screaming. Using one hand to hold her wrists down, he roughly placed the towel over her mouth and nose. Needing to hold her down further to minimize her struggling, he laid his chest partially on top of hers and leaned her towards his side, while entangling his legs with hers. He shushed her gently, as he listened to her faint muffled screams through the cloth. "I wasn't planning on coming back this soon, Leese – I've got an urgent problem on my hands that I need to deal with, so I need your full cooperation," he ordered gently.

Lisa stopped struggling when she felt the strength in her body leaving her. Her eyes were feeling heavy as she looked at him, knowing that she was either being drugged, or that he was basically suffocating her to death.

"I initially expected there wouldn't be a problem with you talking to the authorities after I left, _but now_ I discovered that several business associates of mine have a problem with you doing just that, which has me a little concerned," he said berated, knowing he was talking more to himself than her, by her incoherency. "I assured them it wasn't an issue, but apparently they're not backing me up on that idea 100% and as you can see, I'm a little pissed off…at them."

He watched her close her eyes, but she opened them again, as if trying to fight the effects of the drug. She closed her eyes once more, and they stayed shut as her body went limp under him. He laid there for a moment, feeling her chest rise and lower against his, as her breathing became steady. "I'm sorry about that, Leese," he said tenderly, feeling a little guilty that he was putting her through such misery.

Shoving the rag and glove in his back pocket, he walked to the window, signaling to a figure that was sitting in the driver's seat of his BMW and to a black SUV that was parked behind it. Watching the two vehicles drive off, he walked back and grabbed the keys that she had dropped, and headed to the kitchen door that lead out to the garage. He walked over to her vehicle and opened the trunk to observe if it was sufficient for his needs and to remove any unwanted items that could be hazardous to the cargo he'd be transporting. After tossing a few items out, he headed right back in the house.

He grabbed the duct tape that he had placed on the hall table earlier and walked over to her, binding her wrists and ankles with the tape. He checked her pulse on her neck, and could feel her heart rate beating at its normal pace. She appeared to be fine. He hesitated but then placed a piece of tape over her mouth, just in case.

He picked her up and carried her to her car, laying her gently in the trunk. He looked at her for a moment, noticing how lovely she looked while she was sleeping. She looked exactly like she did when she was passed out on the plane, quite angelic, with the exception of the tape covering her mouth. He could hear her house phone ringing in the background, making him turn his head to hear who was leaving a message.

"Lisa, its Dad. I'm on my way to the station, but the highways a mess. I tried your cell again, but you're not answering. Honey I'm worried, I just hope you're on your way..."

Jackson walked to the kitchen door and closed it. He knew by altering his plans and returning to retrieve her, could be a grave mistake. One in which his associates would consider sloppy in his profession, especially when he had a crisis at hand. He ignored the fact that he could possibly be in over his head with this woman, but even if he acknowledged it, he wasn't about to turn back now. "Nighty night, Leese, " he said, looking at her one last time before closing the door to the trunk.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Less than 4 hours after the Keefe attack:<span>**

Jackson looked at the floor plan that were laying over the table, while taking a puff from his cigarette. Growing tired, he closed his eyes and pinched the center of his brow, while trying to concentrate. He shook his head, agitated that he was losing focus…again. He'd been pondering for the last several hours on how to finish the Keefe job, and he was beyond exhausted. Not to mention, that his night with his not so cooperative female companion, had finally taken a toll on him.

He looked at Lisa who was lying on the couch, still passed out. Thankfully the drug he'd given her wouldn't be wearing off for another couple of hours, enough time for him to deal with one headache, and then start dealing with another. He wondered how he let this woman become more important than she needed to be on this job. She was just a pawn in the scheme of things, but now she was more than that – NO - he let her become more than that.

Hearing his phone ring shook him from his momentary lapse of distraction. Realizing the true purpose at hand, he paused for a moment to put out his cigarette, knowing he better have a good enough answer before taking the call. Thankfully he was able to muster a plan together at the last moment, one that he could believe in, to finish the job. He snapped the phone off his belt, taking a quick breath in before speaking.

"I looked over the layout and it's doable – I've worked out a plan," he said, hoping that answer would suffice.

"Is your man ready on the inside?" O'Neal asked impatiently.

"Of course, but I need to wrap things up, before I call him. You're absolutely certain Keefe will remain on the fifth floor?"

"Yes, our intel hasn't intercepted any changes to his location. He just finished up in surgery and should be transferred to Room 515 shortly."

"Good - I'll call you back in five with confirmation that it's a go."

Jackson hung up the phone without waiting for a reply from O'Neal. Returning his attention back to the hospital floor layout, he hit his fists on the table irritated that the one person who needed to cease existing on this job, had survived.

"We'll finish it," the male voice said behind him.

Jackson turned to look at Davidson, nodding his head and agreeing. His dog always seemed to be optimistic on jobs that would hit a bump in the road. Not many jobs did go off track, but on those rare occasions they did, he and Davidson we're always able to pull it together in the end. Even if it meant that he got his own hands dirty to do so. But this time, he couldn't finish the job himself due to the high level of security and risk involved. He knew too much of the criminal underworld, and if caught by the authorities, could be a valuable source of knowledge, making him an even more dangerous man to his colleagues, than he already was. Davidson was a good henchman, but unfortunately he lacked the quick and quiet obscurity that was needed to solve this particular problem. The only option left was to call in a highly reputable and expensive _Cleaner_. A rogue professional whose one mission was to go in and out of a high risk assignment, undetected, neutralizing the prime target, with no questions asked.

"It's definite that Keefe's on the fifth floor heavily guarded – our guy just needs to get to him without causing too much attention to himself. Our foot's basically through the door – we just need to close it."

Jackson walked over to the sliding glass door, taking a good look out at the crystalline blue ocean that was before him. The seaside condo that he was residing at was comfortable, luxurious and had a glorious ocean view, but he never payed any mind to actually pause and enjoy his surroundings. He was always too focused on the view of the hotel that he could see in the distance, and at the moment the mayhem was still going strong with helicopters and security boats in the vicinity. He did on occasion enjoy sitting on the second floor balcony late at night to have a smoke and a drink, while looking out into the darkness and listening to the sounds of the ocean waves breaking on the beach. He'd sit and mull over the job, and play out in his mind the moment he'd finally get to meet _his_ intended female target. He found those moments to be quite satisfying.

He turned and walked to his lap top, to view the hospital. His second henchman was surveying the layout and was transmitting a live streaming video feed back to him. He observed a high level of security around the hospital grounds but that didn't seem to worry him. The plan he was scheming, would be tricky, but plausible. He gave it a good probability of success. However, the ratio for escape, if the inside man was discovered, could be disastrous. Depending on how much he remembered the ins and outs of the hospital layout would determine his chances of a quick getaway. He was paying the guy handsomely to take such a risk, and the bonus of knowing this guy wouldn't go down without a fight, nor be taken alive for that matter, was part of the success ratio.

Jackson turned to look at Davidson, contemplating again before speaking, "We'll still go with the original plan. Even though the authorities will be expecting us, we need this to be as low key as possible. Keefe needs to look as if he died of his wounds after he's been handled." The clients for this job wanted the public's sustained memory to be of the hit on the hotel, and that meant wrapping this up as quiet as possible.

They both walked over to the hospital floor plans and looked over the layout. Running his fingers over the plans, Jackson tapped on a spot, "We'll still create the diversion here. Due to the confusion, it should give our guy a chance to bypass security and get to Keefe."

"And what if he needs to take out a few guards in the process? Chances are they'll enter Keefe's room to protect him, if they don't go for the bait."

Jackson paused. "If it means our inside man has little choice but to take out some of Keefe's armada to get to him, then…so be it. The main objective is to take out Keefe and finish this job. Let's hope this goes as planned though, it's always best to keep our customers happy. Are we set to disable the security cameras prior to the diversion?"

Davidson nodded his head, "Yes, we're ready to go."

Jackson shoved his hands in his pant pockets, looking at the ground, pondering any last minute details. He knew he needed a shower, but wasn't going to do so, until the job was done. He could just envision the warm water hitting his body, while washing the stress away. He looked right at Lisa and noticed a strand of hair covering her face, and had a strong desire to walk over to her and brush it away.

"This will work," Davidson said, agreeing with the plans final course of action, returning Jacksons attention back to him.

Not wanting to alter the plans further, Jackson nodded his head in agreement. "Then let's get this over with," he said, snapping his phone open and calling O'Neal back.

"O'Neal, it's a go and…"

"Jackson, this cannot fell," O'Neal interrupted. "If it does, we both know what it could mean. I hope we're clear on that."

Jackson pressed his lips together tightly, feeling as if he could strangle the man over the phone by his idle threat. "Is that a threat coming from you or the clients?"

"Always the clients, Jackie. You don't want to mess with these guys…we can't protect you – just too many powerful players in this one. This job needs to end successfully and it needs to end soon."

"And I stand by my word that I'll finish it."

"Then let's pray it works."

"It will, and O'Neal…if you _ever _fucking call me Jackie again, I'm gonna kill you. Are _we_ clear on that?"

There was a long pause, "Crystal," O'Neal finally said.

"Good…then here's what we have planned for our dear Mr. Keefe…"

**TBC**

**Authors note:**

I actually wrote this chapter entirely different to begin with but felt the original version just didn't flow right in order to get to the next level of the story that I'm trying to build up to. So please bear with me as I work this story out.

If you can, please leave a review and thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing related to Red Eye.

Author's note to follow at end of chapter and thanks for reading.

**Chapter 4:**

_Lisa opened hers eyes and looked down to see a hand gently caressing the side of her leg. In a state of confusion, she glanced to her right to see Jackson lying next to her while gazing softly at her. She gasped and froze as he continued to slowly slide his hand upwards along the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, trailing goose bumps along the way. With her heart racing rampantly, he leaned closer to gently take hold of her lips with his own. His kiss turned fierce and passionate, and to her unconscious mind, she found herself wrapping her leg around his waist, pulling him closer to deepen their kiss._

_She moaned when she felt his harden arousal against the heat between her legs, and continued to ravish her tongue with his. Moving rhythmically and fervently with him, she pulled him directly on top of her, wrapping both legs around his waist, while pushing harder against him. He broke hold from her lips and quickly started trailing kisses down to her neck and chest, and she yelped when he roughly tugged up her shirt and began circling his tongue on her exposed skin. He gently suckled the intended spot, causing a small patch of red to appear on her skin by his handiwork._

_She inhaled as she watched him unbutton her skirt and slide it down pass her legs, tossing it to his side. He proceeded to remove all his clothing, while looking down at her with wanting eyes, making her ache for him even more by the sight of his nakedness. He took hold of her panties and lifted her waist and slowly pulled it down her legs. Feeling the silky garment pass her ankles, she closed her eyes to the pure state of bliss that was pulsating within her, leaving her trembling with anticipation. He leaned over to kiss her gently again, taunting her by just barely touching his skin against hers. She arched her back and moaned, pulling him closer while lifting her hips toward his, her body pleading for him to continue. Finally, he pushed his weight down on her, as flesh touched flesh, and she cradled him tightly in her arms while nuzzling her face against his chest. "Look at me," he ordered softly, forcing her to open her eyes. She tilted her head upwards and looked directly in his eyes, making the smile that adorned her face, vanish. He was staring at her point blank with the same mesmerizing icy stare_,_ as when he first threatened her on the plane. The same menacing blue eyes that shut her down. Then slowly, he entered her…_

* * *

><p>Lisa furrowed her brows to feel her entire body being abruptly shaken and awoken. She opened her eyes but closed them immediately from the sharp pain that began piercing along her temples. Once again she jerked and tossed where she lay, making the pain expression on her face deepen. She ran her tongue along her dry lips and swallowed, but it did little to help soothe her parched throat. What came to mind instantly was the dream she just had of Jackson, and from what little details she could still remember, left reminisce of a tingling sensation between her legs. Slowly, she peered open her eyes again, and it took her moment to realize, due to her disoriented state, that she was staring at what looked like a cushioned ceiling, which seemed awfully close to her. Gasping at the realization that something was amiss, she immediately leaned up and looked frantically around.<p>

She was lying on what appeared to be a couch next to a wall, and was dazed to why there were so many small windows along the wall. The room shook again and she turned to the sound of someone clearing their throat. She froze when she caught sight of a set of intense blue eyes looking at her. "No," she whispered, her eyes wide with terror from seeing Jackson sitting casually across from her. She shook her head in disbelief, recalling the course of events that took place with this man. Much of it was a haze but the last thing that she remembered was that he was standing in her hallway with a towel in his hand…and then she was on the ground…with him on top of her.

"And hello to you too. You were moaning so much in your sleep Leese, that I didn't know what to make of it," he said, with a slight amused look on his face.

She blushed and felt as if she was busted from having a lustful dream about him. Regardless what he thought, she was speechless to wake up in this man's presence. She desperately wanted to believe she was still dreaming, and if she wasn't, than her current state of affairs was a continuing nightmare.

"And before you decide to start screaming your little heart out," he continued, "I need to caution you that no one will be coming to your rescue. So let's try not to get hysterical. Ok?"

In complete shock, she shook her head again and quickly moved her legs to run, but looked down to find her ankles and wrists bounded together. "You got to be kidding me," she said, in disbelief.

"You really should be happy that the bindings aren't too tight," he said, as if he was doing her a favor. "But for now, I can't cut you lose. Don't need you running amok on the plane Leese….that wouldn't be good."

She looked around her surroundings to see that she was indeed on a plane. It appeared to be small in size, like it was a personnel business plane. The rough turbulence, along with the sound of thunder and the pounding rain hitting metal, left an impression that the plane was falling apart, making her stomach feel queasy.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, as her breathing became more rapid due to the onset of fear that was creeping up on her.

"It's a surprise but I'll give you a hint…there lot's of privacy and plenty of fresh air where were going. We're actually almost there."

She shook her head to his cryptic answer. "Why are you doing this?"

"Ok. We'll have this conversation now, so I'll try to be brief and to the point." He rubbed his chin looking away for a moment, knowing he needed to select his words carefully. "I want to believe you value your life, as well as your fathers. By not taking you with me, would mean _your_ life would need to cease to exist, and that also goes for your – "

"Why?" she asked, cutting in. "I did what you told me. We had a deal Jack!" she spat back, her heart now racing, and the feeling of a full fledge panic attack coming into full swing.

She watched him press his lips together, as if he was going to lose it but he just sighed. "I don't change the rules Leese, _they_ do, and once that happens then I have to improvise. Thus, why you're here on the plane with me."

"Who's they? The people you work for? You people are fucking crazy!"

"Leese, that language isn't going to get you anywhere and I need you to breathe," he said, seeing her becoming more anxious by the minute. "You need to drink this," he tossed a bottle of water near her lap, "you'll feel a lot better, trust me."

While trying to fight off the tears that began to well up in her eyes, she reached for the bottle and opened it quickly to guzzle down the cool contents. Some of the water escaped her mouth and trailed down the sides of her jaw, along with the tears that dripped down her cheeks. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and closed her eyes tight, when he continued speaking.

"But to answer your question, it's yes. My associates, and sometimes the people I do business with can change the outcome of a job, Leese. But this time it was one particular associate doing a lot of bitching about you to the company." He looked down at his watch, knowing they were near their destination. "This fucking rat influenced the group," he said, more to himself.

His disdained reference was only toward one person, O'Neal. Both had slowly become at odds over the years, which had a lot to do with status and upward mobility within the company, but ultimately it came down to money. Due to his status, he was a substantial money maker, with a lot of say on how jobs would go down. This didn't sit too well with O'Neal, who was ready to knock him off his high podium and bring his reputation down a notch, as well as trying to succeed him. Both had reputable titles within the company, but they were not equals. O'Neal was just a step behind him, working as an Analyzer, which was to examine any given plan to an assignment, and be able to voice concerns to the higher-ups that he might have. He was their second set of eyes, not to mention another go-to guy when they needed somebody technical on the scene. But his powers were limited, compared to that of a Manager, who was the planner and orchestrator of a job, and had a higher voice to rebute and utlimately supersede any concerns that would arise. Seeing his opportunity, O'Neal was now trying to smear his good name, by making a big deal about Lisa to the company than she really was, planting a seed in their heads that she could be trouble by identifying him. But he knew it was just a petty jab toward him on how he handled this particular job. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the most efficient and effective route to complete a job, but this time he chose the latter, which the company had backed him on. In truth, he knew the Keefe job could have been successfully handled in several different ways, but it was his decision to have Lisa become an essential player to Keefe's undoing, making the assignment a lot more complicated than it really should have been.

"How's my father a threat?" she asked, turning his attention back to her. "He's got nothing to do with this what so ever."

"That threat has been directed only toward you Leese…that's if you escape and talk to the authorities. My associates are well connected and with a snap of their fingers, dear old Dad can end up in the mortuary, that's if you don't comply. Trust me, I've been on their shit list before and you don't want to be on it."

"But I know nothing about your business! How can I possibly be a threat?"

"You've seen my face. End of story."

"Ok…than why am I even still alive?"

He paused and looked at her for a moment, contemplating his answer. He wasn't about ready to divulge that she was a 'gift' and that her very existence at this point was his reward for finishing up this latest job. He never asked the company for much, and by asking them to spare her life, was like giving him a bonus.

"I wasn't going to let you die. That wasn't my initial plan," he softly said back, trying to diffuse the topic and her anxiety.

She leaned back, reflecting on his answer, which didn't satisfy her one bit. "What is it that you want from me?"

Now he was stunned. She was blatantly ignoring the obvious. "Nothing I won't force you to do." The look on his face was somber and gave no clue to what his intent was.

"Then let me go."

"You really aren't listening, are you Leese? I let you go, Daddy dies. Not by my hands but by theirs. Also, that could mean trouble for me, since I'm taking full responsibility for you."

She turned away from him, shaking her head once again in disbelief. Fresh tears started free flowing again, and she quickly swigged down more of the water to comfort the dry hollow in her throat. Wiping the tears away and rubbing her hands across her nose to stop the running, she looked out the small windows behind him. They were drizzled with rain and the sky looked vastly black. She was trapped, bounded, and heading into the unknown, and from the looks of the weather, they'd be lucky to make it to their destination, where ever that was.

She watched him get up from his seat and walk down the aisle to what looked like a small kitchen area. He opened the fridge and pulled out an item that was wrapped. He walked back to her and plopped it on her lap. "You need to eat something."

She wanted to toss the contents back in face but at the moment she was starving. She unwrapped it and saw it was a turkey sandwich on wheat. She took a deep breath, held it, and slowly exhaled out. She did this several times before she returned her attention back to him. He was still standing over her, and appeared to be genuinely concerned by her behavior. As her breathing calmed, she turned away from him to take a bite of her sandwich.

Satisfied that she was eatting, he returned to his seat and opened the lap top that was sitting next to him. He looked at her again to see her clearly ignoring him as she inhaled her sandwich. His attention returned to the screen in front of him to continue reading an article that he had saved on his computer. The story headline read: _'Breaking News: Charles Keefe Assassinated!' _He thought the news of his passing hit the media pretty fast, considering that the Cleaner notified him shortly before the news hit the air ways. The message he received by the Cleaner was only one sentence: '_Subject terminated.'_ He officially could breathe a sigh of relief upon reading those two little words. He looked back up at Lisa, to see her crumpling up the wrapper of her finished sandwich, while trying to stand.

"I need to stand and move," she said anxiously, turning to look at him again. "Sitting here is making me anxious….this plane is making me anxious…please." She leaned her hands against the wall to catch her balance when the plane shook again. Feeling dizzy, she fell back on her seat.

He stood and walked over to her, pulling from his pocket a large pocket knife. He kneeled and lifted her ankles, making her flinch when flipping the blade open.

He cut the binding off and to her surprise he gently tugged the tape from her ankles slowly and carefully. His touch sent a warm jolt up her spine, making her blush a deep red, causing him to raise a brow by her sudden change of color. She broke from his stare, when he finally put her feet on the ground and stood.

"The door at the end to the right is the bathroom. Go freshen up, you're looking a little flush," he motioned his head toward the back of the plane. "And don't think about doing anything cute that can get you in trouble. The pilots are part of the company and I'm sure they wouldn't mind tossing you off the plane, if you do something stupid."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she responded in a derisive tone, "and what, no escort?"

She was on a roll with her sassy mouth, he thought. "No worries Leese, I can see the door from here - I'll be watching."

"What about my wrists?"

He shook his head. "Can't help you there."

"How am I supposed to…you know – " she stopped short of finishing her sentence, knowing that it was useless arguing with this man.

She stood and just before she turned from him, he caught a glimpse of reading her lips. He interpreted her silent 'fucking bastard' and watched her walk down the aisle, slowly securing each step along the way.

She opened the bathroom door and before stepping in, she fought every urge to not turn and look at him. She could feel his eyes still on her back and wanted to throw something heavy at him. Instead, she stepped in and closed the door behind her, leaning on it with her back, while sobbing quietly. Her melt down was fairly silent, which lasted a good few minutes. Feeling as if she relinquished some of the sorrow that had been building up, she took a deep breath and stood up-right trying to gather what little composure she had left in her. She moved toward the sink, only to stumble and fall on top of the basin with her elbows, which painfully absorbed the fall. "Get a grip Lisa," she said to herself, feeling as if her heart just jumped in her throat. She turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on her face making her feel invigorated but she stopped abruptly when she felt the plane drop slightly. She looked at the tape around her wrists and began desperately biting at it to break fee. Again, she felt the plane dip. Feeling sick, she flung herself over the toilet to immediately start heaving. No longer being able to hold back, she collapsed to the floor and released her anguish by sobbing loudly. She let it all out.

Jackson looked over to the bathroom hearing Lisa sobs. Even with the tumultuous sounds of the storm hammering outside, her cries were coming through loud and clear. He contemplated about putting her under again, but thought otherwise due to her current frailty. He'd already put her under a second time when they boarded the plane, which gave him a good enough accuse to dose her up again, due to their long journey. But to give her a third dose just to shut her up wasn't acceptable. Here on out, he was going to have to endure her tantrums until she accepted her situation with him…however long that would be. He actually shamelessly found her sobs kind of charming.

"Landing in five," the pilot's voice said over the intercom. Jackson was right, they were nearing their destination. He quickly moved to gather their stuff, which didn't take him long to pack, since he had a few essentials and her bag.

Lisa snapped out of it, upon hearing the male voice over the intercom. She stood and leaned over the sink, trying to catch her breath again. She rinsed her mouth out with water and wiped her face on the side of her arm and laid it there, pondering on what she was going to do next. After a long pause, she whispered, "Survive." She repeated the word softly several times, and then shakily opened the door, only to jump back to see Jackson standing in front of the doorway.

She thought for a moment that he was going to come charging at her, to assert his dominance like he did on the Red Eye flight. However, he simply said, "We need to take our seats." He didn't leave her much room to pass and she brushed next to him, jerking her body away and almost tripping on her own two feet in the process. Quickly walking down the aisle and taking her seat, she buckled her seatbelt and kept her focus to the front of the plane. She knew he was staring at her again, analyzing her every move, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she gripped her hands in a tight ball and held her breath, as the plane jerked and rattled for touchdown.

The plane finally touched ground, and after several minutes of rolling down a bumpy pathway, Jackson stood and gathered their belongings. "Let's go," he ordered.

They headed toward the door but Lisa stopped abruptly by the sight of a clean cut man who came walking from the cock pit. She wanted desperately to beg the man for help but knew it was futile, since he was obviously was one of the pilots.

"Looks like we made it in one piece," the man said, while unbolting the door.

Jackson shook the pilot's hand and both briefly exchanged words, appearing to talk business. Lisa caught site that the man was wearing a gun at his waist, which she couldn't stop staring at and desperately wanted to grab. She looked up to see both men looking at her, with Jackson shaking his head. The pilot placed his hand on his gun, tapping it was his fingers. He was smiling at her, almost mocking her desire to have it, and then turned and pushed the door open to unfold the stairs to the ground.

The brisk wind that blew in, whipped her hair everywhere, and she turned her head away in shock by how cold the air was. She tilted her head to look pass Jackson, staring wide-eye out the door to see what lay ahead. It was dark and she couldn't see much but a faint light in the distance. However, what took her breath away was the smell. It was strong and earthy. The thought of pine trees came to mind to what she was inhaling. They had to be near a forest…

Jackson saw that she was genuinely frightened when she took a step back. He reached in his jacket and pulled out a semi automatic pistol and unloaded the magazine to look at the round. He pushed it back in firmly, and then proceeded to rack the slide back from the top of the gun, hearing it snap forward, ensuring that it was loaded. "Just in case…there are lions, tigers, and bears out there," he said somewhat teasingly, looking right at her while placing the gun back in its holster.

She wasn't laughing by his attempt to make light of the situation, but apparently the pilot found it funny, by chuckling deeply. She took another step back as Jackson approached her.

"Ah Leese, just kidding. There's only two of the three predators out there, and I won't let any of them get you. I promise."

"Which two?" she asked, not finding any of this amusing.

He looked at her for a few a seconds with a slight smile on his face. "I lied," he said in a low voice, leaning closer to her. "There is a third animal you should fear as well."

Understanding the meaning behind those words, she couldn't help but swallow hard. If she had her hands untied, she'd slap him. "I thought you never lied."

He winked at her and grabbed her arm, tugging her reluctant body along side of him. "I'll make an exception this time," he said, giving her arm a little squeeze. They passed the pilot who nodded at the two, and both stepped out into the wet darkness. What lay ahead, she had no idea.

**Author's rather long note:**

The first three paragraphs, I had to rewrite and hold back on the good stuff due to reading that FF is cracking down on content that is beyond the "M" rating. It was written a lot naughtier but I feared my story would be deleted if I left in certain descriptions, and decided to tone it down. Uuuuugggghhhh! Also, I didn't have a beta reader reviewing this chapter, so please be kind about any grammar errors.

For those of you who have read this far, thanks for your interest. I'm hoping it won't take me as long to post the next chapter as it did this last one. There's just been so much going on in my life, that it's been difficult to put pen to paper (so to speak), and write down all my little fantasies about these two characters to continue this story. It's still no excuse for not updating sooner but rest assure, I will keep working on this story.

Also, my apologies for not going into more details about the Keefe job and how it ended successfully. In the prior chapter, I wanted the reader to get a feel that Jackson's life was on the line if he didn't succeed with the job. I decided to write a small blurb on how it succeeded in this chapter, so as to move on with the story. Also, for visual purposes, I envisioned O'Neal to be the guy in the movie that was on the boat, helping the bad guys launch their missile at the hotel. I know it's a small detail, but that's who I pictured O'Neal to be.

Lastly, thank you again to all those who have reviewed, alerted, subscribed, PM me, etc. to my stories, I really appreciate it. Feel free to let me know what you think of the story thus far by leaving a review or you can even PM with your likes or dislikes. Your constructive criticism does help my writing. Until next time everyone…


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing related to Red Eye.

**Chapter 5**

Stepping onto the stairwell leading down from the plane, Lisa shuddered in shock as torrents of cold rain came pouring down, drenching her body. The planes metal steps were slippery and she found it impossible to grasp the railing with Jackson's hold on her arm being so tight by his side and never once letting up. Slowly and carefully, while watching every step ahead of her, she reached the bottom of the stairs but gasped when she felt her footing slip. Her face grimaced, thinking she was going to hit her backside hard against the edge of the metal steps but felt his hold painfully clench tight around her arm, preventing her to fall. He balanced her upright but from the momentum, her footing slipped right onto the ground, into a deep puddle of water. She shrugged her shoulders, while ducking her head and holding her hands against her chest, in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the rain. Gasping again, she felt him pull her roughly to his side, so as to move her along quickly to match his pace. Due to his onward persistence, she couldn't help but lean in closer to him, as if she was being swept off her feet.

Seeing their shadows suddenly dance in front of them, she turned her head to look over her shoulder and squint her eyes to the light that was glaring in their direction. A medium size tanker truck was approaching, but Jackson didn't seem interested by it at all. He released her waist, sliding his hand across her back to grab her arm again. Turning her attention forward, her eyes focused on a building that they were approaching, which seemed to appear out of know where.

He took out a set of keys, unbolted the door, then dragged her in quickly behind him and flipped on the light switches. Seeing several rows of fluorescent lights turn on overhead, she turned her head from being blinded by its intrusive glare. She steadied her breath to look around. The room was vacant, and due to its steel and arch type structure, it appeared to be a small airplane hangar. Dragging her over to the wall, where the alarm system was located, he punched in a set of numbers to deactivate the monotonous shrill that was sounding off, and before she could blink twice, he continued dragging her towards the back of the building. Hearing their footsteps echoing around them, as they approached the left corner, she noticed a large covered object.

He released her to yank off the covering, unveiling a rather large SUV and opened the trunk to start loading their belongings. He glanced in her direction, seeing her shivering and looking quite miserable. Opening her bag, he rifled though her belongings, but groaned from seeing the enclosed contents. She had packed shorts, t-shirts, a tank top, a skirt, undergarments, and a pair of flip flops. He saw nothing that would accommodate the current weather conditions outside, but then noticed a two-piece pajama set that felt thick enough to suffice her needs. Grabbing the garments, he turned and held them up to her.

With her body shaking, she took the garments from him, and looked around to see where she could change. Not seeing any other rooms in the hangar, she turned to him, ready to voice her concerns, but stopped short by the sight of him unbuttoning his shirt. He was changing into dry clothes himself, and gave her a sideways glance, while working his way down to unfasten the last button. His body language was seemingly comfortable undressing in front of her and she couldn't help but hold her breath as she watched him take off his gun holster, strip off his shirt, and then tug off his undershirt.

Gawking, she could feel her cheeks becoming warm, by the sudden show of skin. His chest was smooth and toned, with a long scar scored across his rib cage, no doubt an infliction from the hazards of his job. She watched as he grabbed a shirt from his bag, slipping it on, and then shaking out a pair of pants, and tossing it over his shoulder. He unbuckled his belt and began unzipping his pants, without peeling his eyes from her. No doubt he was taking in her surprised expression that was plastered all over her face. Quickly turning in a state of shock from almost catching a peek to what lay below his waist, she heard him drop his pants to the floor. He gently laughed from her reaction but spoke with a slight seriousness to his tone.

"Leese, were both adults here, I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen before. You're shivering…you need to change."

She shook her ahead, amazed that this man was so brazen in every way and stood frozen, contemplating her next move. However, the obvious needed to happen. She needed to change into something dry or it was going to be the death of her if she didn't. Time stood still as she tried to will herself to do so, but felt too petrified to move. Her senses perked up when she heard the clanking sound of his belt again. She slowly turned around to see him zipping up his pants and adjusting them on his waist.

"You're next," he said, while buckling his belt.

"I can't…"

"Yes, you can, and you will"

"But…I…my wrists."

"Aaahhh." He nodded his head, understanding what the problem was, and turned to retrieve his knife. He walked over to her but when she held up her wrists, he pulled the knife back and paused.

"No funny business. Understand?"

She nodded her head, grinding her teeth to prevent their chattering reflex. He carefully cut the tape, removed it swiftly, and walked back to the vehicle to dig around the compartment that was under the floor of the trunk. Rubbing her wrists, she turned her attention towards the front of the building to see how far she could make it, if she ran. If she was lucky, she could reach the door, giving him a run for his money. But beyond that was another question.

"You're dawdling," He impatiently reminded, without turning to look at her, while still digging in the trunk.

She closed her eyes by the reality of her situation. She was cold, wet, tired, and had no idea where she was located. As far she knew, she could be in some faraway land, halfway around the world. Plus, she was in no mood to deal with a pissed off Jackson again, if she did decide to do something rash, such as try to make an escape but then get caught by him. For now she'd wait and make her getaway when he least expected it.

Turning her back to him slowly, with her heart racing, she tucked the pajamas between her knees to hold them in place. Undoing the ties to her top, she hesitated for a moment, but continued to pull the wet garment off, while pursing her lips. Next, she unpeeled her wet tank top over her head, but looked down at her bra, feeling it uncomfortably wet against her skin. Shivering and closing her eyes, she reached back to unfasten the clasp, but stopped. Modesty overcame her, and she quickly retrieved her dry top, pulling it over her head. She reached in the back under the shirt, and in one fell swoop, masterfully undid her bra. She finished off, by pulling the straps off each shoulder, then sliding the wet garment through the right sleeve to remove it. Feeling slightly triumphant that half the battle was done, she dropped her bra to the floor with the other wet clothes.

'_Now…for my skirt'_, she thought, as she grabbed her pajama bottoms. Everything from the waist down was wet and she realized she would have to remove her underwear as well. Turning around, she stood upright to see Jackson with his hands in his pockets, quietly watching her undress.

He had the same soft expression that captivated her, when she first met him at the airport..._'Best TexMex around…save you seat.'_ He was so charming during their conversation that she couldn't help but feel tingly with excitement from meeting a handsome stranger. She was impressed when he stood up for her honor against the irate passenger at the airport, making her feel as though she had an advocate by her side. But he also left her feeling uncomfortable, when he suddenly became interested in taking their new found relationship to the next level, which caught her off guard. After the incident in the parking lot, she never accepted _any _gentleman's invitation for a social affair, whether it was something simple as having a cup coffee, or even having a harmless plate of nachos, for that matter. She just never felt ready. However, when she walked over to him at the TexMex, asking if the seat next to him was available, she felt like patting herself on the back for finally crossing that line.

Regretting that decision, she slightly flared her nose to breathe in sharply, and walked over to her bag to quickly retrieve an undergarment. Grabbing the item, she turned her head sideways and glanced up at him, knowing he was observing her every move. He was gently smiling at her, appearing to have another 'Aaahhhh' moment, from seeing the article of clothing in her hand. Looking back in the bag, she retrieved the flip flops, and then promptly turned on her heels and walked to the side of the car, away from his prying eyes to finish changing. Once again she masterfully removed her wet clothes...with a plan. First, she kicked off her shoes, then removed her wet undergarment and quickly changed into the dry one, without raising her skirt too high. Next, she slid on her pajama pants, hiking her skirt up in the process, so as not to get the pants too wet. And then lastly, unbuttoned and removed her wet skirt. A satisfied feeling prevailed over her, as she slipped on her flip flops.

"All done?" he asked, from the side of the vehicle, while respecting her privacy.

She didn't respond but gathered her belongings and walked behind the vehicle again, brushing back the wet hair that kept falling in her face.

"I'll take that as a yes." He grabbed her wet garments and placed them in a plastic bag, tossing them in the trunk.

"Now…back to business. I'm going to have to secure those hands of yours again."

"That won't be necessary – "

"Oh, believe me it is. This is not up for debate, so let's get this over with," he ordered firmly.

"No. I'm not going to let you do that…the tape is too uncomfortable."

"Well, I don't think you have a say in this matter, do you? And lucky for you I don't have tape on hand but I do keep one of these lovely's as a spare in my trunk." As quick as lightening he handcuffed her wrists, nice and secure, but not too tight.

Seeing her once again look defeated, he draped a light weight jacket over her shoulders. "Sorry," he genuinely replied, fixing the jacket so it wouldn't slide off. Seeing a loose strand of hair fall in her face, he brushed it back gently behind her ear.

She flinched in surprise by the gentle caress that swept across her cheek. The jacket started to slip and he quickly grabbed it, securing it over her shoulders again. They both were so close to each other that she honestly thought she could feel the heat radiating from his body, but in truth it was her that was warming up. As he kept his grip tight on both sides of the jacket, she suddenly felt her body go weak at the knees. Looking in his eyes at that moment, took her back to the incident in the airplane bathroom all over again. She recognized the same intense expression on his face when he discovered her scar…._'Someone do that to you?'_

'_Oh God, oh God, what's he doing?'_ she thought, when she felt him tug her in closer to him. He was so close to her lips, that she could feel his breath on her skin.

He trailed a hand around her chin to feel its soft warmth against his finger tips.

"You don't have to do this," she whispered softly, echoing exactly what she told him in the bathroom. "You can trust me when I say I won't talk…I swear - "

He leaned her back and took in a deep breath, sighing out through his nose. "I think you and I both know you'd sing like bird to the authorities," he said, bringing his hands to his side. "But that's ok, I assumed as much, Leese. I know this isn't registering with you quite yet, but you're going to have to trust me, when I say that being here right now is the best possible option for you."

Before she could dispute that last statement, he took hold of her arm again and escorted her to the front passenger seat, and opened the door. However, both turned to the front of the building when they heard the sound of metal sliding.

The hangar doors slowly opened and another SUV drove in, and by the sounds of the tires screeching over the concrete floor, made it seem as if the driver was in a rush.

She turned her focused to the activity that was occurring outside. The rain had drastically let-up, and she watched a two man crew refueling the jet with the fuel from the tanker truck, now understanding why the pilots didn't park the plane in the hangar to begin with. She could see slightly beyond the surroundings from the bright lights of the plane, which was now facing the opposite way, from when they came in. A huge field was surrounding them, with two weathered looking concrete paths. One path stretched across the field and the other lead towards the woods.

Jackson quickly scooted her roughly in her seat, slamming the door, and then walked bristly to the driver's side. He looked over to her and locked her door, but stood by his door as he watched the driver from the other vehicle exit the car.

A sharply dressed man in a business suit sauntered his way towards them with a half smile on his face. She felt a little uneasy as he approached with his hands in his pockets. She did a double take on how handsome the man appeared, with his dirty blonde hair and broad shoulders. As he got closer, she noticed his facial features were quite masculine, chiseled and somewhat familiar looking. She watched Jackson take his seat next to her, while rolling down his side window.

"Hey, I heard you made it through this last _one_ by the skin of your teeth." The man joked, while leaning next to the car.

"It was fucking close."

"Too close…surprised that even happen. Dare I say you're slipping?"

"Not unless you want your knee caps broken," Jackson responded, jokingly. "Hey, I thought you were bringing Shannon along? "

"She's back at my place but she's anxious to see you, so I wouldn't keep her waiting too long."

The man looked up at Lisa and smiled. She was a little awe struck on how similar his eyes were to Jacksons. They had the same shape and deep blue color.

Jackson looked at her and then back to the man. "Business," he simply responded.

The man nodded, taking a good look at her again. "Don't work _too_ hard."

Jackson looked up at him with a smirk on his face, signaling for him to back off.

Understanding the meaning behind that familiar look, he tapped the hood. "Well…duty calls," he turned and started back to his vehicle. "And I'll be sure this one gets done right the _first_ time," the man chuckled, with a flare of arrogance to his tone.

"You're a real comedian," Jackson shouted out, while starting the car. "Lock it up behind me…"

The man waved his hand in acknowledgment and proceeded to unload his luggage and a brief case from the backseat of his car. As they drove away, Lisa turned her head to look at the man one last time, and saw him put on a long trench coat and adjust his gun holster at his waist.

If she interpreted their conversation correctly, then she was stunned that both could joke about what they did for a living. "Killing is all a game to you people, isn't it? It doesn't matter whose lives or dies…were all just fair game," she said disgusted, while turning her head from him. "And what am I, part of your sick groupie now?

He lightly chuckled at that last comment but became silent again as he drove out of the hangar. He stopped to pause for a moment before speaking again. He put on the wind shield wipers and both sat quietly while watching a man in a slicker suit remove the fuel line hose from the jet, back onto the tanker truck.

"This is a business, Leese, and I can assure you I never take a job lightly," he finally said, turning to look at her. "Every life taken _and_ every life spared, such as yours, is a well thought out and thorough process. Don't ever estimate that it's nothing less. Life's not always fair on who lives and dies, but I can assure you it's never random in my world. So, I highly suggest you deal with your losses, accept them, and move on." He was staring her down, tired, agitated, and ready to get on the road for the next leg of journey that lay ahead.

With his words slowly sinking in, and feeling as if she touched a nerve, she couldn't help but slouch back in her chair by his unyielding gaze. Flustered, she looked down at the air conditioner and flipped the knob to full blast with the heat on, and turned her attention out the window again, to momentarily break the awkward tension that was building between the two.

Becoming uncomfortably warm, he shut the vents directly in front of him and pulled out slowly on the path that was leading up to the main road along the hill. He took a deep breath in, sensing he needed to ease up and not lose his temper again, like he did when he so gracefully head butted her on the plane. He was chalking this latest bout of agitation towards a lack of sleep, and for a moment considered putting music on to mellow the mood, but then decided otherwise. He needed his full attention on her and the road.

As they drove towards the edge of the woods, she noticed that there were no signs or markers to identify where they were located or where they could be headed. She looked up at the sky to see a void of darkness above them. No moon in sight to shimmer its light down on their surroundings, or even a hint of a star to beacon their way. She breathed in deeply, trying not to panic.

After driving a short ways, she saw a fork ahead in the road and felt him accelerate on the path leading up along the side of the hill. Looking over to his side, she couldn't see much passed the edge of the road but imagined the drop-off had to be far, since the road didn't level off but kept ascending upwards.

She just about jumped out of her skin, when the jet they flew in on, was now suddenly flying along side of them, blasting its way up to the sky. Jackson looked over briefly at the plane, then her, and back to the road. She watched the plane fly off until the lights vanished in the distance, and a sunken feeling started to knot in the pit of her stomach by the realization that she was totally alone with this man.

To distract her, she kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, as the path narrowly worked its way deeper into the mountain. The headlights shinned brightly to reveal a thick forest of trees, shrubs, boulders, and every now and then, a pair of eyes that glistened in the distance. Taking in a deep shaky breath, she found it all quite spooky as they sat in silence, while driving deeper into the woods.

"It's going to be long ride. If I were you I'd try to relax…"

'_Yeah right,'_ she thought, while ignoring him. She suddenly considered kicking and thrashing at him. If she went crazy on him, then there was a chance he'd pull over, so she could jump out of the car. But she immediately remembered him mentioning dangerous animals in the area and decided to back off on that idea.

'_It's not time to make your move yet…catch him when he lease expects it,_' she reminded herself.

The warm air blowing from the vents _was_ making her feel tired and after awhile, she put her head back against the chair. Turning her head to look out the side window again, she wondered what her parents were doing. No doubt worried sick. The thought of them being distraught over her, was devastating. The only solace that came to mind, was that her mom and dad would be together again to comfort each other during their time of suffering. Closing her eyes to the stream of tears that flowed down her cheeks, she held back her whimpers, as her sadness became overwhelming.

Feeling her neck start to ache, she turned and leaned her body slightly to the opposite side, plopping her hands on the chair and bumping into his hand. She quickly sat forward, breathing in sharply, while looking at him again, surprised that his hand was so close to hers.

Their gaze at each other was barely visible but she could see a flicker of light reflect in his eyes from the dashboard lightening that penetrated through the darkness. Quickly turning away to hide her anguish, she sunk in her chair and leaned near the door, huddling his jacket around her tightly by trying to put a wall between them. However, she caught a whiff of his scent on the collar, expelling the idea immediately. She could still feel his hand near her side but surprisingly she didn't bother to shoo it away.

Hearing her breathing sound as if she was fighting back tears, Jackson reached out to grab her hand to comfort her but stopped. Who was he kidding? She was his captive with her wings clipped descending in a downward spiral, thanks to him. Deciding that he didn't want to rile her up more than she already was, he backed off and returned his hand to the steering wheel, focusing back on the road and knowing it was going to be one hell of a long ride.

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><p>After driving a ways, he noticed that the rain had let up. His focus was driving carefully through the forest during the peak of the storm that was passing. A few patches of stars were visible, and every now and then, the full moon would peek behind the breaks in the clouds. He looked at the clock to see that an hour had passed and then glanced over at Lisa. With just enough light, he could see that her eyes were closed. She looked as if she cried herself to sleep or at least was pretending to be asleep. Either way, she was motionless and quiet.<p>

He moved his hand back over to the edge of the chair, and ever so gently moved in closer to just barely brush up against her. He noticed her body slightly stiffen but she didn't sweep his hand away or even move again for that matter. '_That will do for now,'_ he thought, keeping his hand by her side, while driving cautiously with the other.

Seeing the distant lights ahead unveil itself from a thicket of trees, he breathed a sigh of relief, that they had made it to their destination. "Finally," he whispered.

* * *

><p>O'Neal was sitting in dim lit bar, smoking a cigarette at the counter, while watching the Sports Channel's football highlights on the television that was in front of him. The bar's atmosphere was very low key and the locals were still trailing in at the late hour, looking for that one last drink. There was laughter, music, and the sounds of billiard balls clacking from a game that was being played in the background, but O'Neal was focused on one thing, the results of today's game that he placed a huge bet on earlier."<p>

"Shit! Can't they make one fucking touchdown?" He cursed at the television, as he reached for the shot glass in front of him, slamming down the drink. He pointed to his glass at the bartender. "Another Danny."

Shaking his head, as the bartender approached to fill his glass again, he continued his tirade, "Am I asking for too much for these bastards to make one touchdown? I had money riding on this game!"

The bartender shook his head, looking at the screen, and walked off to tend to the bar maid who was waving a new list of drink orders from the opposite side of the bar.

Watching segments of the game and seeing a player fumble the ball, he threw up his hands in disgust. Hearing his phone ring, he put out his cigarette and reached in his jacket. Frustrated and finally grasping hold of the phone, he pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Yeah?"

"O'Neal. It's Jonesy, can you talk?"

This line's clean – shoot." He threw back the whiskey, feeling the liquid burn down his throat, and slammed the shot glass upside down on the counter.

"Are we still a go with Jackson? Is this hit going to happen?"

"Damn right it is," he said slurring his words and hesitating for a moment. "But I need more time to scope of the layout to the outpost in the Western territory. He's taken the lady up to his mountain hideaway in that area, so we'll deal with him up there." He tossed a few bills on the counter, walking away from the bar, and making his exit out the door.

"And what about the lady?"

"No witnesses and plus she's part of the big show. I want to see him suffer first before we dethrone him."

"The team made it clear that this restructure will need to go without a hitch. Meaning, the contracts are almost finalized for the hit on the Director and two of his Chief Executives, so we need to act on Jackson soon, since we're handling him in-house. If we hit them first, and he catches wind of this and survives, were afraid he'll go deep covert on us. Then none of us will be safe. Have you considered that perhaps Jackson can still be a valuable asset if we - "

"You know what? I'm tired of Jackson getting all the breaks! I'm tired of him being favored by all those on the top. If you want my help with this reorganization, than there's got to be no Jackson in the picture. And I guarantee you; he won't sit by on the sidelines to let this happen, not by a long shot."

"Perhaps it's best we go with the outside party to take care of him and – "

"Nope, I told you guy's I'd handle him."

"So what's the plan?"

"I'm working on it but have your men ready when I give the go ahead. It could be tomorrow, next week, a month -"

"A month?"

"I'm hoping it won't take that long, but it does give us time to plan this out right. My suggestion to the group, is to not hit the other targets until Jackson's been handled first."

"What the hell is out in our Western outpost that he's so interested in?"

"He's known to retreat out there after a job, to regroup for a long period of time… to humanize himself with the world again," he slurred, rolling his eyes. "God only knows how long he'll be up there, and now that he's got company, it can be a hell of a long time. Plus, I don't want to arise any suspicions, if we act too fast. He's got booby traps and security devices everywhere in his lair. I need to catch up to speed on what those devices would be and where they're located. We trigger any those, and are discovered by him, it could be a dirty mess. Meaning we'll have a straight out war on our hands if he alerts the company. So when I call…have your men ready."

"We'll be waiting -"

"And like the old saying goes Jonesy, 'Don't call me, I'll call you," he finished, snapping the phone shut. "Punk," he said, under his breath. Even though both were the same rank, O'Neal was the more seasoned employee, making him the lead. Which, of course, he used to his advantage every time he could, by making Jonesy do a lot of the leg work on side projects, while he basked in the praise on the more important tasks. With Jackson gone, his promotion was a shoe in.

Walking to his car, O'Neal opened the door and stumbled in, taking his seat. Starting the car and pulling out, he looked over his shoulder to see flashing lights behind him. He started slowing but didn't stop, '_Shit, that was quick_.' The patrol car was still on his tale and after driving half a block, he heard a voice blaring over the patrol speakers.

"Pull – Over - Now." The voice echoed out sternly over the blow horn, sounding almost robotic like.

Looking in his rearview mirror, he thought about punching on the gas but sobered up quickly to know that he'd be spending more time in jail, if did so. He had a job of his own now…which was finishing off Jackson.

"Dammit" he muttered, pulling over to the side. His focus was now on the DUI test the cop would undoubtedly be administering after smelling his breath. Gripping the steering wheel, he couldn't help but feel that his current predicament was also caused by Jackson. _'Times a wasting,' _he thought, tapping the steering wheel, while watching the cop exit his vehicle from his rearview mirror_._ He looked over to his side and rolled down his window, giving a glazed over smile to the officer, as he walked up shinning a flash light in his face.

"License and registration Sir..."

**TBC**

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><p><span>Author Notes: <span>

Well, I really hope this chapter didn't disappoint. I thought I'd post as-is, so please forgive any grammar errors.

I tell you, no matter how much I want this story to move along with plot, romance, adventure…my thought process always leads them into the bedroom to…you know…wink (in the naughtiest way), and then after that, the story goes blank! There are writers with the skill and brilliance to continue a story after the copulation. Me, it ends there – LOL. So please bear with me as I sort this out and try to think beyond the sheets. But be warned though, major smut is coming.

Lastly, thank you again for all your reviews, they're very much appreciated. Jackson and Lisa are nearing his secret lair and that's when the real fun will begin, so I hope you stick around to find out what happens next. :D

Update note 3/6/13: Just plugging my Red Eye zombie story, Catch Me If I Fall To Pieces, which I've recently updated w/Chapter 2. If you're also into the show The Walking Dead and would like to read a zombie story with JacksonxLisa, then you can find the story in the crossover section (listed under Walking Dead). Thanks again for reading! :)


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